Green cleaning supplies can keep your family and pets healthy,
reduce allergies and help the environment
In the first of our series on natural cleaning products, Casabella’s founder and CEO Bruce Kaminstein talks about the dangers of toxic cleaning products and how good cleaning tools can help reduce your exposure to them.
The Dangers of Toxic Cleaning Products
Here in New York, the colder weather means a lot of time inside: whether at work or at home, we spend a lot of time rushing from cars or public transportation to get inside to escape the artic freeze. It’s a similar situation for folks in warmer parts of the country during the Summer, when the only comfortable place to be is in an air conditioned house. Here’s the problem: according to the U.S. EPA, levels of pollutants in indoor air can be from two to more than 100 times higher than outdoors!
Indoor pollution is produced by many things, but toxic cleaning products are one of the main causes. There are two main pollutants produced by these cleaning products: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), that evaporate into the air, and strong chemicals, like polyoxymethylene. Toxic pollutants like these are common in widely used products, and many aren’t indicated on the label. This means that houses that seem the cleanest, can actually be the most dangerous for your health. The list of products that can be hazardous includes many products that might not seem obviously harmful.
All of this indoor pollution can lead to headaches, dry eyes, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. An important part of keeping indoor air clean (delete and) is using non toxic cleaners - we call these green cleaning supplies, and at Casabella we’re committed to providing our customers with environmentally friendly, non toxic green cleaning products that are safe for your family and pets.
So how do we reduce the amount of chemicals that we bring into our homes? In future articles I will discuss how to use microfiber cloths to eliminate the need for cleaning solvents altogether. Today, I’ll concentrate on reducing the amount of cleaning agents needed to clean.
Here are the tips for this installment:
1. Put your soap in a shower caddy
To reduce the need for using harsh bathroom cleaner, keep the soap in your shower in a caddy so that soap scum doesn’t accumulate in the first place. This will reduce the need for Aerosol shower cleaners.
Recommended Products:
2. Keep floors and surfaces clean
Clean floors and surfaces often, so that you don’t need to over use toxic cleaners.
Use good, stiff brushes and scrubbers to clean your sinks and toilet so you can get surfaces clean without much detergent.
Recommended Products:
3. Pre-treat stains for more effective results
Pre-treat tough dirt and stains with a solution of half water and half white vinegar, letting stand for 10 minutes. This will loosen the dirt so that it can be removed without using so many cleaning products.
Following up on that last point, in the next installment I will discuss how to choose the best non-toxic household cleaning products.
Author's Biography:
Bruce Kaminstein is Founder and CEO of Casabella. Bruce has been passionate about designing beautiful, exceptionally functional cleaning products and personal organization gear since he found the perfect floor mop while traveling in Italy with his sister 20 years ago.
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